Modern digital technology is continuing to help with the data preservation of the cultural relics in the Mogao Grottoes, in tandem with providing virtual access to the ancient art treasures held at the renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province.

The "Digital Dunhuang" project, which was put forward by the Dunhuang Academy in the late 1980s, has made many fruitful achievements.

Audiences from around the world are now able to enjoy high-definition images and panoramic views of 30 ancient caves at the millennium-old site, thanks to an online platform launched in 2016.

By the end of 2022, digital data collection work on 289 caves, and image processing for 178 of them, had been completed. Staff members from the Dunhuang Academy had also finished by then the 3D reconstruction of 45 painted sculptures and seven ruins, and delivered a panoramic digital tour program for 162 caves.

In addition to appreciating the actual murals and manuscripts from the Mogao Grottoes, visitors to Dunhuang can now better understand the charm and value of these cultural relics through visual experiences, including watching films employing digital technology to showcase the beauty of Mogao Grottoes.

A virtual cartoon figure named Jiayao was introduced last year as the first digital cultural ambassador to Dunhuang. Based on a half-woman, half-bird-like creature featured in Dunhuang murals, Jiayao conducts virtual live broadcasts of exhibitions and explains Dunhuang culture to a wider global audience.

Home to more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals spread over 735 caves, the Mogao Grottoes will have many more secrets to reveal to the world through the ongoing digitization program at Dunhuang.